Demons
by alyssialui
Summary: Everything she ever did was for her. Bellatrix/Andromeda sibling fic.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Everything she ever did was for her. short Bellatrix/Andromeda sibling series._

 _Submission for:_

 _ **Lyric Inspired Drabble Challenge II -**_ _I wanna hide the truth, I wanna shelter you_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

"Again!" her father shouts, releasing another bright purple flash from his wand.

She watches the spell fly through the air, her vision slightly impeded by a few of her long, black curls that had gotten free of her bun. Acting quickly, she jumps to the left, spinning on her heel before firing a spell of her own.

It isn't until she sees the grin on her father's face that she realizes her folly. He easily blocks her weaker spell before aiming his wand at her legs. She screams as her skin rips open and falls onto the wooden floor.

"There's no time for fancy footwork in battle, Bellatrix," he says as he walks over to her, mindful to keep his wand pointed at her face. "It's that sort of thing that will get you killed."

"Yes, Father," she says, staring down at the open wounds on the backs of her legs. The blood should have been warm, but after three hours of training, she doesn't feel anything. Her body is sore, her muscles cry out from over work, and her chest heaves from exhaustion.

He gives her a curt nod before he pulls a silver pocket watch out of his breast pocket. "We'll stop for today," he says, stowing away the watch and his wand, as he walks out of the room and leaves her on the floor.

This is her daily routine. They would rise bright and early, before the sun even warmed the Earth, and step into this spare room for her training exercises. As a Black, she was born to be the best, and her father wanted to ensure no one would ever doubt that. He trained her like the son he never had, honing her abilities in dueling and expanding her knowledge of the Dark Arts. To what ends, she did not fully know, but her father promised that they would be great and she would be rewarded tremendously for her diligence and performance.

Once she got there, that was. For now, she still had a long way to go. She groans as she pushes herself into a sitting a position and begins to heal the injuries on her body. This is part of the training as well, to heal herself as best as she can. She wouldn't be able to count on anyone else to help her in a real battle, not even her own father.

Soon, the blood disappears, the cuts seal and the bruises fade, but the pain is still there. Her body is still weak from the fight. But she puts on a brave face and gets to her feet. A Black does not show weakness.

She steps into the hallway to see her younger sister walking past, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"Good morning, Bella," Dromeda says, showing off the space in her mouth from her most recent lost tooth. Then her cheery expression falters as the younger girl takes in the dark circles around her eyes, and the slight sway of her body. "Are you okay, Bellatrix?" Dromeda asks, tipping on her toes to place her hand on the taller girl's forehead.

She grabs the smaller girl's hands and places a small smile on her face. Only her and her father know the details of their training, how she is pushed until her knuckles split open and how many times she's bled on the floor.

But she can't tell any of this to Dromeda. She doesn't want to mar her sister's bright view of the future, to taint her with the dark reality of this family which lies just beneath the surface. Her sister will remain pure and innocent as long as she's around to do anything about it.

"Nothing, Dromeda," she says before she tugs her sister down the hallway back to their bedrooms. "Come, let's go get dressed."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Though her words burn, one would only have to look into her eyes to see the truth inside._

 _Submission for:_

 _ **Lyric Inspired Drabble Challenge II -**_ _When you feel my heat, Look into my eyes_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

As her training continued and her lessons became more intense, she shut herself off from her sisters. Narcissa was too young to care about what was happening to her older sister, but she could see the sorrow and neglect in Andromeda's eyes.

They used to spend all their time together, whether they chatted in the parlour, read in the library, played in the playroom, or had tea in the front room. Now, she didn't have time for such childish endeavours, and she spent most of her time with her father going over the various things he showed her the day before.

Whenever Andromeda tried to speak to her, she'd get angry. She made her words as sharp as knives and as hot as irons, lashing out to keep the younger girl away. What she was doing was no place for a child, for her sweet, innocent sister.

Andromeda would run away in tears, never seeing the truth she held behind her dark eyes, the pain she felt at having to drive her younger sister away. She wished she didn't have to do this to the younger girl, she wished they could go back to the way they were.

It is early morning once more as the teen walks through her home towards the spare room where she knows her father will be waiting. The house is quiet, except for a soft sound escaping through the cracks around her sister's bedroom door.

She pauses, listens, and her own heart almost cracks as well when she hears the soft sniffles, and the younger girl wishing for her forgiveness.

But she doesn't enter the room, she doesn't comfort the younger girl with sweet lies and half-truths. This is the way things are, this is the way they have to be. This will harden her, and Andromeda will get over it.

She continues down the hallway towards her next lesson.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Bellatrix has successfully driven Andromeda away from her and the darkness within._

 _Submission for:_

 _ **Lyric Inspired Drabble Challenge II -**_ _Don't get too close, It's dark inside_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

As the years went by, the darkness consumed her. She trained with her father until she practically breathed the Dark Arts. She could list various ways to kill a person within a few seconds, and others that would make their death long and tortuous. And oh, how the thought of them made her heart race and her chest warm, placing a smile on both her and her father's face.

However, her relationship with her sister had greatly suffered. Little Andromeda had grown up and learnt the truth of her training and the extent of her lessons, and she made it obvious she did not approve. The tears her sister once shed had long dried up, and their interactions had been reduced to cold words and smouldering glares.

But Bellatrix no longer cared. The darkness had clouded her mind, dividing the world into black and white. If her sister could not see that this was the right way to be, the pureblood way to be, the path to perfection and loyalty, then her sister was just as naive as she had thought.

But no matter what, a small part of her still wanted to preserve that side of her sister, the side that still believed in good and innocence. On more than one occasion, her father had suggested inviting her sister to her classes, and Bellatrix had quickly opposed them. Andromeda deserved a better life than this, where her sole purpose would be to kill and destroy anything she touched, and that meant keeping her away in any way possible.

Footsteps sound on the wooden floor as she sits in the parlour, drawing her attention away from the raindrops hitting the window. She turns, her eyes locking with her sister's in the adjoining hallway. Those brown eyes looked back, eyes which were once like her own, eyes not yet tainted by the darkness.

"Don't come any closer," she hisses under breath.

Her sister stands there for a moment, her glare barely hiding the fear in her eyes, before she turns back the way she came.

"It's dark inside," Bellatrix whispers as she turns back to the window herself.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Bellatrix signs herself over to the devil._

 _Submission for:_

 _ **Lyric Inspired Drabble Challenge II -**_ _Don't wanna let you down, But I am hell bound_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Her heart beats wildly in her chest in anticipation. It is the night of her first test, her first true appraisal of her abilities and once she succeeds, she will be awarded greatly and bring great honour to her family.

She waits at the floo, watching the seconds tick by on the large grandfather clock above the mantle. She must be punctual but aloof, ready but not eager. She must leave when and only when the time is right before she faces the man that will change her life forever.

There is a light touch on her shoulder as her father stands at her side, a small smile across his lips which speaks volumes about his emotions. He is proud of what she has become, and she has truly earned her place at his side and as his heir.

A slight movement catches her eye and she looks towards the shadows of the hallway. Bright brown eyes stare back at her full of fear, curiosity and disappointment. Despite how things had changed between them, her sister had always looked up to her. But that will soon end. Her sister knows just as well that there will be no going back after tonight. She will be branded as one of his and her fate will be sealed.

The clock sounds, marking off the turn of a new day. With a gentle push from her father, she steps forward, throwing the glittering powder into the fireplace. She steps into the green, fiery gates of hell, starting on the path she was born to take.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Andromeda finally learns the truth. This is the end of my five-shot. Thank you for reading._

 _Submission for:_

 _ **Lyric Inspired Drabble Challenge II -**_ _I can't escape this now Unless you show me how._

 _ **Hogwarts Houses Challenges:** The Quidditch Pitch - darkness_

 _ ** **Hogwarts Houses Challenges:**** Drabble Club - bed_

* * *

It is much later as she steps out of the fireplace and into the foyer. Her body is bruised and battered, and a fine trail of red droplets is left in her wake as she barely makes her way up the stairs to her bedroom.

Tonight had gone entirely different than she had anticipated. She stood among the other crowd, her head held down as she listened to the impressive man speak. Then her name was called and she stepped forward, ready to prove herself. She had expected to face off against another pledge, maybe even a tenured black-robed figure, but never against the man himself.

For what it was worth, she had held her own the longest out of all the pledges, earning a rare smile from the man just before he showcased his true power. The first spell slashed her arms, then her legs, sending her crashing to the ground with a startled cry. However, unlike the times with her father, the man did not relent just because she had fallen. He sent waves of pain through her body until her throat bled, before he suddenly stopped.

She takes a shuddering breath as tears drip down her chin and soak her pillow. She had been adequate. **Adequate**! And she had been the best, earning her the mark on her arm and the right to keep her life. The fear-stricken faces of the other pledges were still fresh in her mind. She could have been one of them, but instead she was _adequate_.

There is a gasp from behind her and she rolls over, barely making out the small figure standing in her bedroom doorway.

"I- You-" her sister begins, trying to find the words to say as she steps into the room. "Bella, I-"

"Go!" she screams, holding out one hand while hiding her face with the other. "Don't look at me!"

Her sister ignores her as she takes a seat on the bed, her hands running over the open wounds on her arms and legs, and tracing the fainter ones beneath. Then she stops over the hideous mark on her forearm, her skin red around the inky snake and skull.

"I can't believe you let them do this to you," her sister says, her voice but a whisper in the darkness.

She snatches her hands back, wincing a bit from the pain as she turns away. "You wouldn't understand, Andromeda. I didn't have a choice."

"Then make me understand," her sister says, her tone urgent and pleading. "We always have a choice, no matter what. All these years... You could have stopped at any time."

"No, I couldn't!" she cries out.

"And why not?" her sister asks.

"Because if it wasn't me, it would have been you!"

Her last outburst hangs in the air between them, threatening to suffocate them with the truth.

It takes a few moments before he sister speaks again. "You- you don't know that. You-"

"I did this to protect you, you and Cissy," she interrupts. "I chose to walk down this path so that you wouldn't have to. I chose to accept the darkness as my own, to keep you away, to keep you pure." Then she holds up her arm, the black ink shining in dim light slipping through her curtains. "And now there's no escape," she adds softly.

There is another pause before her sister reaches out, placing her hand over her forearm and hiding the mark from view. "We always have a choice, no matter what," she repeats. "I know our family isn't as perfect as we appear. I've been thinking about this for a while, a means of escape. You could come with me, you and Cissy."

She eyes her sister in the dark. The idea was far-fetched, ludicrous actually. There was no escape from the man once he had you in his clutches. But, for tonight, she wants to hope. She wants to believe in a world where such choices weren't necessary. She wants the relationship she had with her sister back.

She takes her sister's other hand and gives her a small smile. "Show me how."


End file.
